'Confusion' surrounds plans for flu pandemic

[Guest guest]

Just goes to show you that " hogwash " can lead to " confusion " ---or, as

Yogi said-- " If you don't know where you're going, you better leave

early 'cause you may get lost. "

 

Where are our " leaders " on this?

UncBob

'Confusion' surrounds plans for flu pandemic

 

Posted 8/28/2006 10:19 PM ET

By Anita Manning, USA TODAY

 

States' planning for pandemic flu has been hampered by a lack of

clear direction from federal health officials and a dearth of

scientific information on strategies that could slow the spread of

infection, researchers say.

Scientists at the non-profit Research Triangle Institute

International reviewed 49 pandemic plans posted on state health

department websites (only Louisiana's plan was not posted) and found

wide disparities.

 

Their report in the September issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases,

a journal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is

published online at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID.

 

Highlights of the report:

 

•All states give vaccination priority to health and emergency

workers; people with high-risk medical conditions, such as asthma

and heart disease; and the elderly. But they are " markedly "

different in their plans for limiting personal contact and

prevention guidance.

 

•There is " confusion and lack of specificity " in the plans when it

comes to practical measures to identify and contain an outbreak. For

instance, there is no definition of what would trigger a declaration

of a pandemic, and measures such as vaccination or use of anti-flu

medications are " infrequently addressed, " mainly because the

supplies of vaccine and drugs are expected to be limited.

 

•Key questions are unanswered, such as whether earlier detection

would prompt changes in behavior that could slow the spread of the

disease and whether the use of face masks would help. Further, " we

know of no studies designed to address these and several other

issues. "

 

•Only a handful of states plan such surveillance efforts as

monitoring hospital emergency rooms for flu-like illnesses or

screening international travelers.

 

" We believe some of the problem results from weak central (federal)

direction, as has been a criticism of national bioterrorism

preparedness, " the authors write. " Fortunately, state and federal

plans are still in flux, many are still in draft form, and getting a

clearer delineation of a basic plan that all states can follow is

still possible. "

 

In November, President Bush announced a National Strategy for

Pandemic Influenza and in May issued a plan for implementing the

strategy. The authors say that a revision of the plan " would be

helpful " and that studies should be done to provide more specific

information to state planners.

 

Preparing the country for a flu pandemic will take time, says John

Agwunobi, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health

and Human Services. " Under no circumstances are we there yet. Making

sure that every state has its first draft plan is one of the very

first steps. "

 

The new report helps clarify strengths and weaknesses in the plans,

but it does not reflect " the notion that we are building in layers, "

Agwunobi says. State plans are a first step, and this fall, regional

planning will begin.

 

Other questions, such as " what's the most strategic way to close

schools, how to protect nursing homes in the absence of a vaccine,

the best ways to apply social distancing at the community level "

will be explored starting in mid-October, Agwunobi says. That's when

the Institute of Medicine will convene a series of expert panels to

develop guidelines for communities.

 

That outcome will " serve as the scientific basis for the next

generation of our pandemic plan, " he says.

 

 

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-08-28-flu-planning_x.htm

<http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-08-28-flu-planning_x.htm>